Bedlington
Location type
StationName and dates
Bedlington (1858-1964)Opened on the Morpeth Branch (Blyth and Tyne Railway).
Opened on the Bedlington Private Railway.
Description
This is a closed station on an open line. It was located in Sleekburn, north east of Bedlington itself. The station building and platform remain. Two signal boxes also remain, at the level crossing to the north and south of the former station.
There was a through platform, on the east side of the double line. This had a bay at its northern end, only accessible from the northern route. The 'L' shaped building had a canopy on its west side.
North of the station is the junction between the Morpeth Branch (Blyth and Tyne Railway) (1857) and Warkworth Extension (Blyth and Tyne Railway) (1859). The former was built partly along the alignment of the Bedlington Iron Company's waggonway which linked Bedlington Iron Works (to the south) to collieries (to the west). This waggonway had followed the alignment of Melrose Villas from the north end of the station down its west side to the iron works. It was the first line opened here, followed by the 1850 Bedlington Private Railway opened by the Bedlington Coal Company and taken over by the Blyth and Tyne Railway.
South of the station, over the south level crossing, are the Furnaceway Sidings. These sidings allow a train from the Morpeth direction to reverse and run north to approach North Blyth and Ashington. A connection from by these sidings formerly ran to the iron works.
A colliery branch ran from the north side of the south level crossing west to Bedlington Colliery.
Further south is Bedlington Viaduct over the River Blyth.
Passenger trains to Morpeth ceased in 1950. Those to Ashington and Newbiggin ended in 1964.
The line remained open for coal traffic (pits and power stations) and the Lynemouth Aluminium Works. It remains open to coal traffic from Battleship Wharf, North Blyth, and trains from North Blyth Alcan Terminal to the Lochaber Aluminium Works, Fort William (this traffic reverses in the Furnaceway Sidings south of the station).
The former station may re-open to passengers if the proposed Northumberland Line re-opening to passengers goes ahead.
Tags
Station
| Nearby stations Bebside Choppington North Seaton Blyth [2nd] Blyth [1st] Newsham Ashington Ashington [Private] Hepscott Newbigging Stannington Plessey Halt Cramlington Pegswood Hartley [2nd] | Bedlington ^A^ Colliery Furnaceway Sidings Bedlington Viaduct Bedlington Iron Works Barrington Colliery West Sleekburn Junction Bedlington ^D^ Colliery Horton Grange Colliery West Sleekburn Colliery Bomarsund Colliery Winning Junction Marcheys House Junction North Blyth Power Station North Blyth Power Station Tourist/other Bedlington Staith |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| / /1859 | Warkworth Extension (Blyth and Tyne Railway) Opened from Bedlington to North Seaton Colliery. |
| / /1893 | North Blyth Branch (Blyth and Tyne Railway) Act passed allowing widening and extension of the Cambois branch. A new curve was laid in between Marchey's House Junction and Winning Junction which allowed coal from Ashington to be taken to the harbour without reversal at Bedlington. |
